Here Are 7 Ways To Stop Being Indecisive

Do you struggle with indecisiveness? The answer is yes if you constantly struggle to make firm decisions that you actually stick to (even about the smallest things). To someone with indecisiveness, even simply deciding on a food to eat for dinner can be difficult. Mind you this is with the more extreme cases, but the challenges of struggling to make choices can be seriously inconveniencing.

How to stop being indecisive

1. Weigh the pros and cons

When you are stuck trying to decide something, typically the reason is a lack of understanding on what each side offers. Or maybe you are aware of what the pros and cons are but you simply struggle to weigh them. Now, this is not always going to be the cause of indecisiveness, however it is an important one.

If you need to you can write down arguments for and against your options. Be brutally honest with yourself and avoid any bias. For example, you may slightly lean towards one choice more but you still can’t decide. Try not to show favoritism for that side. Instead, assess your arguments for and against honestly. Once you determine which side is best based on this assessment, you can move forward by making a choice.

2. When you really can’t choose, go with your gut

Sometimes you truly are stuck even after doing a comprehensive analysis. A lot of times people have a preference that is not rooted in logic but instead is rooted in feeling. While this isn’t always a good way to make decisions sometimes it’s your best path (especially when you have weighed the pros and cons and you find that your choices are equal). When you find yourself with no clear argument for or against any choice, go with your instinct.

3. Don’t reverse your decision too often

Okay, a snow storm is most definitely a good reason to cancel plans and stay home. However, sometimes reasoning for going back and forth on decisions is not so convincing. If you constantly have arguments with yourself about your choices, this can contribute to your indecisiveness. The solution is to simply stop reversing your decision unless it would be illogical not to reverse it (like in the case of snow storm, for example). Otherwise, stick to your choice and don’t try to talk yourself out of it.

4. Don’t be too afraid (wrong choices are what they are)

If you do x, a bad thing might happen? It could, yes. But the reality is bad things can happen to anyone, anywhere. We simply should not be living our lives so debilitated by possible yet unlikely negative outcomes.

Wrong choices can happen – if they do, so be it. Remember, your choice could also end up being good for you, too. Always use logical thinking for calculating how likely a bad outcome is from a given choice to determine if it should be eliminated (another reason why you should weigh pros and cons). But if you’ve done your research and something unfavorable inadvertently happens, accept it as the way life is.

5. Don’t waste time on the small decisions

It really isn’t that big of a deal if you have chicken parmesan or spaghetti for dinner. It doesn’t matter what episode you watch before starting an important task you probably should’ve been doing. Some decisions are just miniscule and not worth expending time and energy on. If you find yourself wasting time being indecisive for something small then just make a whatever choice and move on.

6. If you have too many options, eliminate some

If you are stuck trying to choose between two options you at least have a narrower path to take compared to if you are stuck choosing between ten, for example. If ever you find yourself stuck trying to make a choice between too many options then start a process of elimination. Try to filter out your choices to whichever ones are your personal favorites. This can be a little harder at times, in which case you may need to carefully consider your choices. However, other times it can also be easy because some of the options are little more than numbers – they aren’t very good choices. The less options you leave yourself with the easier it is to make a choice.

7. Practice making quick decisions

There’s no denying the fact that some life choices need careful planning. At the same time others do not need as astute of an approach. If something is not super important, consider training yourself to make a quick decision.

Practice going through the pros and the cons in your head very quickly and then making an immediate choice. Eventually, you could begin to do this with more important decisions. Do so with caution, however, as important decisions will typically require wise assessment.